Jutta Limbach

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Jutta Limbach (born March 27, 1934 in Berlin) is a German jurist and politician. She is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). She received her doctorate in law in 1966 by the Free University of Berlin and fulfilled the requirements to be appointed professor by the German educational system in 1971. In 1972, she was appointed professor of private law at the Free University. From 1987 to 1989, she was member of an academic advisory council at the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Under Walter Momper as mayor, Limbach was the senator for Justice in Berlin from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, she was then appointed to the position of vice-president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, the same year she became president, succeeding Roman Herzog. She was the first female president of the court and served in this role until she reached the age limit of 68 in 2002. She then became president of the German non-profit organization Goethe-Institut. In 2004, she was repeatedly named as a possible candidate to succeed Johannes Rau as President of Germany in that year's election. Limbach is a member of the committee of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. In 2005, she was awarded the Louise-Schroeder-Medal.

Preceded by
Rupert Scholz
Senator for Justice of Berlin
1989-1994
Succeeded by
Lore Maria Peschel-Gutzeit
Preceded by
Ernst Mahrenholz
Vice-President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
1994
Succeeded by
Johann Friedrich Henschel
Preceded by
Roman Herzog
President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
1994-2002
Succeeded by
Hans-Jürgen Papier
Preceded by
Hilmar Hoffmann
President of the Goethe-Institut
2001-
Succeeded by
incumbent